TIGER TEMPLE

2016 UPDATE to this 2009 Article: It has recently been proven that this Tiger Temple uses unethical and cruel practices. I no longer recommend it as a tourist attraction for visitors to Thailand, however, I am keeping this article up as documentation of what a visit looked like from the outside.

The woman’s tiny, tan hand holds yours protectively. The dusty walls of Tiger Canyon slope down to where you stand… you, and thirty giant adult tigers.

And you are off. The woman tugs you right up behind the first looming mountain of orange and black fur and places your hand firmly on the tiger’s back. “Pat STRONG,” she commands. You must show the tiger confidence, or he will whirl around. “Smile!” you hear, and look up in time for the man to snap three photos of you.

The woman’s hand is on yours again, and you are pulled past a German tourist couple to a rock with TWO giant tigers. “Sit here,” your guide says, patting the rock with the tigers. “Pat FIRM.” You put your hands out and stare in utter shock at what you’re doing. “Smile!” the man hollers. Click, click!

“Never show your back to a tiger, remember!” the woman says, and she leads you to pose with FIVE more monstrously gorgeous specimens. One flips around and snarls, and the woman leaps forward to yank you back to safety. The thick chains strain and rattle.
Much to your surprise, you WILL emerge, ten minutes later, with all limbs intact. You also will emerge with a hundred unbelievable photos on your camera, and a huge smile and handshake of gratitude to your Thai tiger handler guides.

WHAT AN EXPERIENCE. If you are anywhere in Thailand, the Tiger Temple is NOT to be missed. It is a smooth two hour drive from Bangkok, and you can get there on your own and pay the very worthwhile 500 Baht ($16) entrance fee, or book it as a package day tour, as we did.
So what in the name of all the creatures in Noah’s Ark IS this Tiger Temple? The first thing to remember is that it is an ACTUAL TEMPLE, run by monks in their saffron orange robes. This means that you must dress conservatively to visit. While you’re selecting your wardrobe, nix the bright colors like red, as you will be… how shall I put this… eaten.

Let us turn now to the official pamphlet for a further (utterly delightful) explanation of the Tiger Temple. “Since its opening in 1994, Wat Pa Luangta Bua gained a reputation as a wildlife sanctuary. It started with an injured jungle fowl given to the monk by the villagers. Then peacocks came, attracted by the calls of the, by then, rather large colony of jungle fowl. An injured wild boar stumbled in to the monastery and the monks cared for him until he could be released back into the forest. The next day he came back, followed by his family group of about ten animals. Now a countless number of wild boar find shelter in the monastery. Villagers also started to bring in unwanted pets. All these animals are roaming the grounds of the monastery freely.”
Wait, so there are a million OTHER animals sauntering, un-caged, around the Tiger Temple? Ooh yes. It is quite the feeling to walk down the path right next to a camel, four wild boars, a cattle herd, and three deer. But what about the TIGERS? Read on in the lovely pamphlet.

“The first tiger cub arrived in the monastery in February 1999. It was a female cub of Indochinese tiger subspecies, and her condition was very poor. When she was only a few months old her mother was killed by poachers near the Thai-Burma border. The cub was sold to a wealthy Bangkok resident who ordered her stuffed. A local was hired to do the job, which fortunately he did not finish. When she arrived to the monastery she was frail and terrified of the slightest sound. Under the loving care of the monks the cub recovered, but in July 1999 she fell seriously ill and died. People who knew about the incident did not want to see another cub mistreated again. However, it was not to be.”

Ahh!! So the Tiger Temple is not just a heartless tourist machine. It is a legitimate religious site and extremely important nature preserve. Keep reading.“The monastery is situated in Kanchanaburi province– an area lying adjacent to Burma. The Western Forest Complex that stretches along the border is the largest protected area in Asia and believed to be the home of the largest surviving tiger population in the region. Unfortunately, while this area is protected, poaching still occurs rather frequently. A Thai poacher can get up to U.S. $5,800 for killing a tiger, several years’ salary for a farmer. Just a few weeks after the first cub died in the monastery, two healthy male cubs intercepted from the poachers were brought to the monks. A few weeks later the local villagers presented another two male cubs. And soon after, the border police patrol intercepted cubs held by poachers. The Abbot welcomed the animals and as he had no previous experience in looking after large carnivores, he had to learn on the job. As the years went by, the tigers grew up and to the Abbot’s surprise and delight, started to reproduce.”

Unbelievable. There now are hundreds of blue-uniformed Thai and Western workers helping the monks care for the animals, and several larger animal habitats are under construction thanks to the funds from the fascinated tourists pouring in each day.

A question posed in the pamphlet is perhaps on your mind, too. “Q: Why are the tigers so calm? Are they drugged? A: All our tigers have been hand-raised and imprinted to humans and therefore have no fear of people. The “fierce” behavior often associated with captive tigers is caused by placing wild animals in stressful conditions of the captive environment. Our tigers have been regularly handled from a very early age and thus become desensitized to being touched by people.”
Ahem. Please note… the second half of the question is not directly answered in the pamphlet.

Several times, we saw monks feeding the eager tigers some pills from a white packet, but as we cannot read Thai, these could either be opiates, vitamins, or breath freshener.

The author, Lillie Marshall, is a National Board Certified Teacher of English who has written over 700 articles on Around the World "L" Travel Blog since 2009, becoming a respected source of advice on educational travel.. and creating joy in everyday life! Lillie launched Teaching Traveling in 2010, which is now one of the internet's most extensive communities of global education expertise. Lillie is mother to two young children, and has been a Boston educator since 2003.

It is very cool that you get to touch a tiger. I am impressed because I thought that tigers were violent predators. I can’t believe that people can touch the dangerous predators. I find it kind of suspicious that the tigers looks so still and calm. In the wild,the tigers will most likely move around and interact with their surroundings.

Oh my gosh!! That is so cool. Were you scared at first?? I sure would be! Thoes are some amazing photos. I have always wanted to travel the world, and when I do thats one more place to visit!! Thanks for your awesome story!!

One reason for their “sedate” nature might be attributed to the fact that tigers are nocturnal. You may have also noticed the heat and humidity. Watch these cats around the pool and you just might see a different animal!

Because of the pills…
I worked in the temple many times.
And I gave theese pills to the tigers.
Better – i ate theese pills in front of the guests to show them, that there is no narcotic or so in theese pills.
It is only a little secret. The tigers love milk. But you can’t give them milk every day. So we made a little “deal”. Sometimes we give the tigers theese pills and they love it. Because in this packets are milk tablets.
That’s all about the “secret pills”.

Tomas Sanchez said…
These pictures are amazing! They are beautiful animals! I love how in some of the pictures you look so intimidated, the wont bite… MUCH! LOL

September 20, 2009 8:34 AM

Tomas Sanchez said…
I like tigers 😀

September 20, 2009 8:44 AM

FamilyDO’C said…
Wow! These are some awesome pictures–looks like an amazing time and you look like a natural–perhaps a “Tiger Whisperer” in another life? Keep the amazing adventures coming–reading your posts offers some escapism from dissertation writing! Hugs, Lori

September 21, 2009 3:59 AM

Michelle Carmona said…
Your so lucky! I would’ve love to seen tigers in person, but scared at the same time.

September 22, 2009 6:06 AM

Doug Pologe said…
Well, the answer in the pamphlet didn’t relate directly to the question of whether or not the tigers are drugged, so those pills could have been opiates. I’m sure that the tigers aren’t saying anything.

October 25, 2009 8:03 PM

Mary Thompson said…
Oh wow. Yeah, the tigers probably are drugged… I’d hope they were drugged if I was going to pet them. That is a very interesting experience!

October 26, 2009 8:22 PM

TheWordWire said…
WOW! What an incredible experience! Good luck on your travels — thanks for letting others live vicariously.

October 26, 2009 10:06 PM

Luddy Sr. said…
Incredible!

December 6, 2009 8:31 AM

d said…
I really want to go, we are heading to thailand later this year…does the entrance fee include the visit to the tigers or is that just into the temple?

February 4, 2010 6:29 AM

Lillie M. said…
D:
You should go! The entrance fee of $16 covers everything, ESPECIALLY the tigers! 🙂 The main expense then is getting yourself to the town from Bangkok (about two and a half hours to the northwest) which can be done for a range of prices depending on your method of transport. Good luck and enjoy!

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